WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced funding from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Justice (DOJ), and Energy (DOE), as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to support economic development, infrastructure improvement, public safety, and academic research initiatives in West Virginia.

EPA FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, secured funding from the EPA through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for West Virginia to upgrade water infrastructure in West Virginia.

“As part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we led the way through the EPW Committee to provide resources to help West Virginia upgrade and improve its water infrastructure systems. This funding will help accomplish our goal of ensuring our communities can make necessary infrastructure improvements, invest in cleaner water systems, and protect residents now and in the future,” Ranking Member Capito said.

FEMA FUNDING: Additionally, Senator Capito, a member of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, secured resources from FEMA to the Village of Beech Bottom Flood Control Project to upgrade the storm sewer system in order to mitigate future flooding events.

“These vital resources will help Beech Bottom upgrade its infrastructure so that the Ohio River Valley is safer for residents during potential flooding events,” Senator Capito said. “I have seen firsthand floods devastate communities across our state and will continue to help West Virginians proactively upgrade their local infrastructure to meet the natural challenges they face.”

USDA/NIFA FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured resources from the USDA’s Rural Development Program and its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support economic development and academic research at West Virginia University (WVU).

“I was proud to secure resources that will help bolster local economies in rural communities across West Virginia. This support will help create jobs and strengthen rural area across our state, as well as assist WVU in looking into initiatives that will strengthen our food supply in West Virginia.”

NSF FUNDING: Senator Capito a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, secured funding from the NSF to support two research projects at WVU focused on chemical production and advanced computing.

“It’s welcome news to see WVU taking on research projects that will help pioneer and develop new tools for the future,” Senator Capito said. “WVU has long been a leader in important research initiatives and I am proud to see the students and faculty working to uphold that reputation by discovering ways we can harness new technologies in the future.”

DOJ FUNDING: Finally, Senator Capito secured funding from the DOJ to support state and local efforts aiming to reduce juvenile delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system.

“Children and young adults are the future of our state and I’m committed to helping them on a path to avoid crime and reach their full potential. This funding will help that mission and keep our communities safe,” Senator Capito said.

Individual EPA award details listed below:

  • $109.88 million in IIJA funding to West Virginia to support improvements to water systems and access to safe drinking water across the state.

Individual FEMA award details listed below:

  • $1,086,166.33 in FEMA funding to the Village of Beech Bottom, W.Va. to construct upgrades to the current storm sewer system to mitigate future flooding events.

USDA award details listed below:

  • $1,772,000 USDA Rural Development loan to the Randolph County Development Authority (Elkins, W.Va.) to build an event center at the former Elkins Railyard site. The new Railyard Event Center will be a 26,500 square foot event center. Half of the building will be dedicated to a theater style seating setup and the other half will be flexible open space for exhibition and events. It will also house a commercial kitchen, heritage exhibition space, and administrative space.
  • $250,000 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to allow WVU Research Corporation to provide technical assistance services to 40 small businesses. Their effort will include developing energy assessments and energy audits for small business located in rural areas.
  • $150,000 in USDA NIFA Grant funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to develop a systematic community training program to encourage the adoption of triple-wash process among very small local produce growers in West Virginia to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from local produce.
  • $99,500 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to the Randolph County Development Authority (Elkins, W.Va.) to purchase equipment and furnishings to complete a conference and event center and make it operational. The project will create 40 jobs.
  • $99,000 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to Pendleton County Economic & Community Development (Franklin, W.Va.) to create a rural business and entrepreneurial innovation center in Pendleton County.
  • $97,750 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle (Weirton, W.Va.) to evaluate costs to build a conference and event center. The project focuses on architectural renderings building schematics. 
  • $50,750 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to Experience Learning, Inc. (Circleville, W.Va.) to renovate and upgrade a community center. The project will create a commercial kitchen and market space at the Sweetwater Farm Trail Center.
  • $7,900 in USDA Rural Development Grant funding to Barbour County, W.Va. to purchase 13 V300 model Motorola body-worn cameras. These cameras are compatible with the Barbour County Law Enforcement Department's current radios and have built in record-after-the-fact technology that enables the devices to capture important video evidence that can be retrieved hours and days after an incident occurs.

NSF award details listed below:

  • $276,075 in NSF funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to support a research project entitled "RII Track-4: NSF: Fabrication of Inversely Designed Nanophotonic Structures for Quantum Emitters."
  • $240,585 in NSF funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) to support a research project entitled "RII Track-4: NSF: Automated Design and Innovation of Chemical Production Processes with Intelligent Computing."

DOJ award details listed below:

  • $601,166 in DOJ funding to GO33 Justice and Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) to support more effective education, training, research, prevention, diversion, treatment, and rehabilitation in the area of juvenile delinquency and programs to improve the juvenile justice system.

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